


Scooter Licenses

by bunny1550



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Could Be Canon, Day At The Beach, F/M, Other, it's not though, scooters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28379988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunny1550/pseuds/bunny1550
Summary: Shirogane Naoto just "happened" to get her scooter license over the summer... right... This fic was born from this strange comment she made one morning and a desire for Naoto to be part of everything. Also of note, Naoto is referred to as "she/her" in line with the game's narration even though I would've loved for pronouns to have been better addressed. C'est la vie.
Relationships: Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Scooter Licenses

One thing about small towns was that even with a serial kidnapper and killer on the loose they still defended their own. As word of Naoto’s arrival and purpose spread, it became harder and harder to get information out of the populace. Particularly when the police department was misinforming the public that the culprit had already been captured. It was hard to tell some days whether the police were being willfully or naturally ignorant. Most days she was building the case to prove that Kubo was not the perpetrator of the crimes she’d been called in for. Since she was lucky enough to be in the area when Mr. Morooka’s murder occurred she could be sure of the evidence recording and point out with ease where the differences were. The only reason it was keeping her at her desk was the need to make it airtight as to leave no room for lazy prefectural detectives to ignore.

It was something of a stroke of luck that she overheard a group of suspects behaving with a strange sense of urgency. She gathered from this and a few more conversations that it was imperative the entirety of this group of suspects get their scooter licenses. She did not have to stake them out for very long before confirming this through several such occasions she happened to be browsing books or perusing Junes. It seemed that this topic was constantly on their minds. If all members obtaining scooter licenses was such a necessity, it could mean that the case was about to move from Inaba. There was a possibility that the change in location could itself give clues, or that as the culprit moved to strike again, they might be less prepared. In a different location they might also be easier to spot on their own or thanks to these suspects. In any case, it would be impermissible for this crew to leave her purview entirely and take vital information with them.

So, Naoto spent an afternoon brushing up on scooter regulations and coordinating scooter acquisition. Even though she was not as fluent in social cues as some might wish, it was quite clear that her presence was unwelcome at the police station. There was no way that an officer was going to use an official vehicle to discreetly follow a bunch of kids on scooters for a possible lead. If they couldn’t follow the obvious footprints leading to Morooka and discern something was off about the scene, they wouldn’t be able to follow the trail of breadcrumbs leading to suspicious Yasogami high students. Everything fell into place long before the last of them obtained licenses and Naoto had to admit that there was something cool about having a scooter. Certainly it wasn’t as official as a police car, but it was efficient. Particularly so in a place like Inaba. Public transportation was practically non-existent and she didn’t wish to have a personal driver forced to sit around and wait on her.

It was a while still before their need for the scooters actually came up. Once again, luck played a bit of a part in realizing that they were gathering for a trip out of town. After filing one report after another to prove that Kubo was a murderer and not a serial killer, she was encouraged to spend some time hitting the streets. She spotted three of the 2nd year students at Moel Gas next to the Yomenaido book store gassing up their scooters and making calls. It was a little difficult to pick out exact details but each one appeared to be calling one of the other members to join them. Things would become clear if she could stay on their trail after grabbing her own scooter. Considering their preparations at the gas station she presumed there would be enough time if she were to hurry.

Naoto arrived at the gas station in time to see a truly bizarre crowd heading out of town. She was certain that even with their heading unknown, it would not be hard to tail what appeared to be Tatsumi Kanji hauling the Junes mascot by rope on a bicycle. The group had no concept of discretion on the way to their destination and it was something of an unfulfilling chase. Of course, such petty thoughts were to be squashed anyway. Regardless of her satisfaction, the important thing was reaching the solution and proving her results. It took a while, but eventually all of them seemed to be heading into a parking area for Shinchiri Beach. Naoto slowed her approach and in fact drove past the area and looped back to scan the surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, no one seemed to be meeting them there and it was difficult to discern whether they were meeting up with someone already present. There were very few other people present though and by all appearances they seemed uninterested in the newcomers. Nothing about this indicated that the group was looking to privately meet up with another party.

After parking on the other side of some vans in the shade of trees Naoto drew out binoculars to find that the group was slowly trickling out of the public bathrooms in swimsuits. There seemed to be something of a commotion when Tatsumi Kanji rejoined them, but part of the group broke away for the water almost immediately after. It seemed as though Tatsumi-kun was wearing the bottom-half of one of the girls’ outfits, but none of the girls were wearing the shorts she assumed he was meant to be wearing. Before long the entire group was splashing around loudly and doing utterly mundane, benign activities one would expect of teenagers at the beach mid-summer.

Confident that they were presently occupied in such a way as to not be beneficial to her, Naoto snuck over to the conglomeration of scooters and one bicycle that belonged to the group. Helmets adorned the handlebars and seats, only two of them had compartments and these contained nothing more than simple first aid kits. Tatsumi-kun’s bicycle basket was empty. There was nothing more to glean from their scooters as to a more case-relevant reason for their being here. Naoto returned to her own scooter and resumed watch over what looked like an afternoon at the beach for normal kids. Even in the shade she couldn’t deny the appeal of swimming in the ocean at a time like this. But rather than being jealous, she felt more than a little disappointed that her lead was geared toward getting them all to the beach.

Surely these teens who seemed to know more about the case with regards to the methods had realized that it remained unsolved? Was this really the time to be playing around at the beach? The fact that she was the only one at the police station still pursuing the truth was almost a point of pride. The fact that her suspects were a bunch of morons with nothing better to do than play at the beach was a source of aggravation.

The binoculars nearly fell to the ground when Tatsumi Kanji walked out of the ocean with the unusual Teddie person under his arm and absolutely nothing else on his person. Having caught the binoculars before they met earth, she hesitated to look through them again knowing what she’d see.

Curiosity won over. Rather than covering his lower half with Teddie, who was flailing quite a bit at this point, she assumed he’d use his free hand. Instead, he was strangely preoccupied with covering his upper half. For someone who had started out wearing such a daring swimsuit in the first place, it was impressive how this threw the group into disarray. Naoto had been somewhat aware of the fact before, but it seemed that context was absolutely vital when it came to this sort of sharing. Even among his peers, Tatsumi-kun’s lack of swimsuit was severely frowned upon. Even though she had been told by coworkers that it wasn’t such a big deal, a little nudity was apparently a very big deal in this situation. While she avoided the men’s room and changing room at peak traffic times for obvious reasons, she nonetheless knew about the sorts of things that went on. Getting this teenage perspective could be vital if she was going to enroll at Yasogami High for the 2nd semester.

Of course, all’s well and good under that logic, another side of her was interested in the finer details. Even from this distance she could examine the unmistakable shape and get a rough idea of size that had her somewhat in awe of his missing, possibly torn suit, for having concealed it. Naturally his hair there was a more natural color than the bleached blond atop his head. The previously abundant heat nearly overwhelmed her in a wave as she considered how indecent it was for her to be watching like this as well as how ludicrous it would be to engineer an occasion where she would not be labeled a pervert. She would have to turn off the parts of her that thought of his anatomy in anything besides a purely functional sense if she was going to survive unavoidable contact with him or indeed any other boy in the future. Of course her sexual education had included pictures and diagrams, and some of the case files she’d pored over contained full autopsy reports, this was by no means the first time she had seen someone of the opposite sex undressed. Context was so important.

She ogled for a few minutes more, simply appreciating that she could see the entirety of the subject, alive, moving in front of her, from a distance so discreet it called Jane Goodall to mind. The boys were scrambling for cover and in a move she found hard not to appreciate, they set up a bikini of seaweed. Tatsumi-kun seemed still concerned with covering his chest even though he had been unconcerned with his swimsuit on. It was a very haphazard re-enactment of the Birth of Venus that had the girls run screaming for the water. Tatsumi-kun’s hands remained steadfast on the seaweed while his companions left in search of his missing swimsuit, judging by their eventual return with it.

Hanamura-san and Seta-san made something of an impromptu changing wall so that Tatsumi-kun wouldn’t have to go all the way to the restroom to change from seaweed to bathing suit. In turning away from the ocean, again she was awarded with a full view of him. The seaweed dropped and he coordinated his arms and legs to put the very sparse material back on. There was something about the mix of vulnerability and strength that intrigued her. Some of his confidence had ebbed away, being the only nude person on the beach, but she could see a definite confidence in his body. He knew he was strong, well-proportioned, muscular without being bulky, assured that there was nothing wrong with the way he looked.

Even covered, she could still imagine him without it, the thrill of discovery. Now that she knew him bared, what other mysteries did he hold? Of course, it was a little dishonest to be gaining intimate knowledge like this, from afar, with little risk. Her justification had been blown out of the water hours ago when it became clear this was not case related. By this point she was little more than a peeping tom and making every effort not to continue, not to think about Tatsumi-kun in an ungentlemanly way, and certainly not with the idea that she might like him closer, in a different setting. She’d been assured by family and tutors that such feelings were natural and a bit difficult to control for someone of her age. As a result the shame she felt was a bit minimized, something for her to study at a more opportune time. She was not being distracted from the case after all, she had just stumbled upon something that piqued her interests. Hardly different from researching wiretapping and finding herself a new hobby. She finally lowered the binoculars when the group had returned to the water, hiding swathes of skin again.

For a while longer she watched them at play, enjoying their energy, they way they foolishly wasted a day in which the serial killer in their town could be up to anything. It didn’t show on their faces; the gloom Amagi-san and Kujikawa-san held before their kidnapping, the complex Tatsumi-kun had during their interaction. All of it was wiped clean in this group. They were open with each other, drawn together by something invisible. They weren’t so disparate that their association was necessarily suspicious, but there were clear pairings that wouldn’t exist outside this group. What was it she lacked, that made such an inclusion an impossibility? Of course, wearing a swimsuit was not something she was willing to do. Rather immediately she’d ruled out the possibility of herself being down there with them. It could conceivably be pleasant though, thoroughly enjoyable if she could somehow shed her insecurity with her clothes. To enjoy the ocean on this hot day, feel the waves caressing her and be so far removed from her responsibilities as a detective that she and Tatsumi-kun could simply appreciate the look of each other for a time.

As the sun dipped they all left the water and played in the sand. She only stayed a few minutes more, to hear laughter, before heading back to town. It certainly wouldn’t do to be caught so out of place, and waiting for them to leave only risked exposing her. She’d have to bet that they would be returning to Inaba as well shortly after her own return rather than conduct secret activities after dark and far from home. From her observances, the group largely followed a curfew and only ever met up in pairs or conducted small solo errands after dinner. She stopped back at the Moel gas station and then walked her scooter into a darker corner when they all wheeled up to refill their tanks and split off. She took care not to observe too closely, lest someone notice her presence. Everyone else had already broken away while Hanamura-san filled up his scooter and Tatsumi-kun tied a rope to it. The other end was fastened to the Junes mascot, drifting slowly forward and backward on roller skates as he flailed his arms. Hanamura-san took off, trailing the Junes mascot behind him, which cued Tatsumi-kun to raise his kickstand and head for home too. She couldn’t prevent herself from following his motions with her eyes, the way that his legs moved effortlessly. He was not elegant, but there was a grace in his long limbs that she envied. Power she envied.

For the time being, she would endeavor to twist those for her own private use. And perhaps later she might observe him to gain a more thorough understanding in how he might best be utilized.


End file.
